Sandy
Sandy Demarais-Ueda is a Sinnoh-born trainer. She has never completed or even attempted to challenge the Sinnoh league, as she only began training pokemon after moving to Kalos with her mother after her father's untimely death. Appearance Sandy has hazel eyes and short, naturally-blond hair that she prefers to dye dark brown. Her sense of style when left to her own devices varies from dark-coloured suits to bright, pastel blouses and flowing skirts, but when she will be doing physical labor such as gardening or traveling she dresses sensibly, with dark long-sleeved shirts and pants to guard against thorns, burrs, and the like. She used to be more careless about her surroundings, but a few experiences with ruined clothes taught her a lesson. Personality A very easily excitable person, with a particular affiity towards plants, Sandy doesn't pay particularly close attention to whether she might come off as a bit unusual or awkward in conversation the first time she meets someone. She's the type to go up to a complete stranger who looks unwell and offer them some fresh ginger or mint, to give an example. She doesn't tend to talk much about her past unless pressed, and even then she will likely talk around the reason she's currently living in Kalos, mentioning instead how she enjoyed learning how to garden or other trivial things. She prefers to deal with negative feels and sadness with the help of her pokemon, and thus rarely makes note of things that are bothering her either in journal updates or speaking to others in person. Whether she entirely realizes it or not, gardening is her way of feeling closer to her father and she will focus more heavily on studying plants when she is stressed in order to give herself comfort. Biography Pre-PAC Sandy spent most of her life in Sinnoh with her parents. Her father, a gardener by trade, began teaching her small things when she was young and awakend her love of nature in the process. From beginning with trying to grow a poor, sickly little bean plant out of a seed, she learned over the years how to balance the nutrients in the soil, estimating the best time to begin growing seeds, which needed to be started indoors before the weather became nice enough to plant them properly, etc. The two of them always talked about a planned trip to the Great Marsh, but that trip never came to pass. Her father fell ill suddenly, and passed away the year before her mother moved back to her hometown in Kalos with Sandy in tow. The woman couldn't stand living in Floaroma without her husband, and hoped that a return to her childhood home could help ease some of the suffering. The two had always been close, and things did not change much in the months leading up to the move. Sandy took on odd jobs to help save up money for the move, and once they had enough saved she left the familiar surroundings for the unknown. She was excited about seeing her mother's homeland, but there was of course a lingering sense of sadness and regret in leaving the only place she'd ever known. Traveling Kalos Sandy settled into Kalos pretty well, using books and the bits of the language her mother had taught her to help her get around until she'd become more accustomed. She took a Chespin as her starter, and eagerly documented everything about her journey online in order to share it with other trainers. Along with writing down her progression through the region, she also kept a notebook for the plants she came across, recording their appearances both in text and by drying small parts of the ones she was particularly drawn to. By the time she reached Route 7 she had already collected most of what would eventually become the team she used to finish the League challenge, and spent most of her time bonding with the pokemon she already had rather than continuously capturing new ones. However, there were times when she would stumble upon a pokemon that charmed her and work to capture it. Most notable was the time she spent hours hunting for a Pumpkaboo after meeting a trainer who owned one. Sandy is a skilled traner, but a lot of the higher-level strategy applied by other champions eludes her. She made friends with a trainer who taught her most of what she knows about complex balancing and team-building, though, and is always quick to credit him when complimented. Post-league After her victory, Sandy struggled for a time trying to find a direction to move in. Some of her acquaintances were breeders, but after a few tries she found that it just didn't suit her. She spent a while learning more about fairy-type pokemon and training them, in hopes of apprenticing at Valerie's gym at some point in the future, and while that isn't something she has entirely given uo she realizes that she isn't qualified for the position at the current time. She's kept herself busy, forgetting to update frequently now that the initial excitement of traveling the region has died down and her life has become more routine. Currently resides in an apartment in Laverre, but frequently takes trips down to visit her mother and tend to the large garden in the backyard of the house. Pokemon Main Team Other Notable Pokemon Domi, shiny Nidoran M. The biggest problem pokemon Sandy has ever had. Sprout, female Joltik. Rarely contained within a pokeball, likes to scurry around whenever possible. Curious but shy. HotChoclate (Choco) shiny male Swirlix. Given to her as a gift. Relationships *Befriended Catherine under strange circumstances but the two of them get along well and she wants to take classes at Cat's gym *Went to Sabine for assistance with her uncontrollable Nidoran * Achievements Kalos Holds the title of Kalos League Champion. Trivia *She expected to be a grass-type trainer but wound up fairly diverse when it came to what pokemon drew her in *